Five Tips for Learning Spelling

Do you struggle with spelling?

You’re not alone. Since poor spelling can lead to a whole host of problems, and because your teacher can only do so much, we’re sharing five top tips to help you get your spelling under control. Let’s make this school year the one for getting that spelling under control!

Don’t try and learn spellings blindly
It might seem obvious, but if you come across a word and you don’t know what it means, look it up! You can find the Spellzone dictionary on the right-hand side of your screen. Knowing a little bit about a word can go a long way when it comes to working out how to spell it later. For example, if you know the word you are trying to spell is a loanword, you can assume it might not follow usual spelling rules. Or, if you know how a word is pronounced and what it means, you might be able to use a familiar word root to work out how to spell it. Click here to read about Latin word roots and here to read about Greek word roots.
Come up with your own mnemonics
Over the years, we’ve shared plenty of our favourite mnemonics – you can find a some of them here. That said, if there’s a word that you consistently struggle to spell, it’s worth coming up with a personalised mnemonic. Use the names of people you know and places you’ve been to help trigger your memory – and the ruder a mnemonic, the better! Here are our top tips for creating your own mnemonics.
Play games using problem words
If you keep spelling the same words wrong, it’s time to take a break. Don’t stress yourself out by testing yourself over and over again – try something a little more relaxed instead. Once there’s an element of competition involved, you’ll be remembering the spellings before you know it. Find our word games here.
Read! Read! Read!
You don’t necessarily need to read books – reading anything will help you recognise and memorise common spelling patterns. This can include anything from food packets, to road signs, to Buzzfeed.

Don’t forget that the words you’re trying to spell may also be close to hand – for example on a worksheet, or in a textbook nearby. If you can recognise the shape of words, you will be able to use these aids to help you find the correct spelling.
Take your time!
Don’t panic if you aren’t progressing as quickly as you’d like. Everyone learns at different paces, and each student is likely to have different words they struggle with. The great thing about the Spellzone course is that you can make your way through it at your own pace, and repeat exercises as many times as you want. Don’t get distracted by what you friends are working on – their weak spots won’t be the same as yours!

If you found this post useful, why not check out some of our other articles?

Have a good week!

07 Sep 2015
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